Muskingum, Licking have plenty of similarities

Philo coach Dirk Lincicome talks to his Muskingum Valley All-Star team following a recent practice. The annual Muskingum Valley-Licking County All-Star Game will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday at Sam Hatfield Stadium.(Photo: Sam Blackburn/Times Recorder)Buy Photo

DUNCAN FALLS - The latest rendition of the Muskingum Valley-Licking County All-Star Game has arrived after two weeks of practice. The game will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Philo's Sam Hatfield Stadium.

Muskingum owns a 19-16 lead in the overall series and has won five of the last seven meetings, including a 38-9 win in 2016 at Newark. Licking has scored less than 10 points in four of those games, including each of the past two seasons.

It also has the Division VII Defensive Player of the Year Travis Johnston, of Rosecrans, a linebacker who stars on offense. Alongside him is Zanesville's Kolton Chapman, the Blue Devils' leading tackler whose aggressive nature impressed teammates and coaches.

Moore, like many during the days of practice leading to the game, came away impressed with Johnston's instincts.

"If I can ride down and he nails them, I'm fine with that, and they want to try to run outside on me I'm fine with that too," Moore said. "(Johnston) is really good at reading the gaps and what the guards and tackles do."

They'll be facing a Licking offense with dangerous threats in Granville receiver Jack Peterson and Heath quarterback Aaron Latiolais, to name a few, along with a defense that expects to be active.

Ends Chance Canady, of Licking Heights, and Johnstown's Brandon Siegfried lead the way, along with outside linebackers Dante Fair, of Watkins Memorial, and Heights' L.A. Kelly.

Heath linebacker Daulton Brown told the Newark Advocate that the playoff loss to Philo, which resulted in a fourth-quarter running clock, still lingers in his teammates' minds.

There is plenty of representation from both schools.

"You try to put that out of your mind, but they beat us pretty bad," Brown said. "Being on their home field this time, we want a little bit of revenge."